Book of Deer (MS Ii.6.32)

The Book of Deer is a small manuscript containing the text of the gospels in Latin which has been dated to the first half of the tenth century. While the manuscripts to which the Book of Deer is closest in character are all Irish, scholars have tended to argue for a Scottish origin, and it is widely regarded as the earliest manuscript produced in Scotland. Short texts written in Gaelic were added to the manuscript in the twelfth century, relating to the monastery of Deer in Aberdeenshire, giving the book its name. At the start of each gospel text is a full-page illustration of a human figure or figures.